Asobu
by S.P.D. Gold Ranger
Summary: Part five of my Ojamajo Doremi Affections series. On his way to a sleepover at Momoko's house, Nick runs into Aiko and plays a round of basketball with her. During the game, Nick begins to feel something for the girl from Osaka...


Author's Note: Okay, here comes another one! This is part five of my _Ojamajo Doremi Affections_ series, featuring everybody's favorite wisecracking Osakan, Aiko! The premise is simple: Nick is walking along one day and notices Aiko playing basketball. Nick, being the ever-competitive type, challenges her to a game. As they play, Nick begins to feel an attraction of sorts towards her. Remember, I don't own _Ojamajo Doremi_ or any similar licenses. It belongs to Toei Animation. And by the way, the song Nick is singing in the opening is "Aozora no Namida" by Hitomi Takahashi.

"_Asobu" - "Let's play!"_

I was walking down the streets of Misora, jamming to tunes on my Walkman. I'm glad I remembered to bring this with me when I came to Japan...

"_Hitorikiri kurayami no naka  
__Kimi no namida no imi wo shitta  
__Negau basho fumi dashi takedo  
__Daremo kizutsuketaku nakute_

_Umi wo wataru kaze wa kyou mo  
__Mayowazu ni ashita ni mukau no ni  
__Kokoro wa doushite ugoki dase nai_

_Donna unmei ga matte irun darou  
__Kuya mitaku nai yo umareta koto  
__Kanashimi no naka ni yuuki ga aru  
__Kagayaki tsukamu to shinjite iru_

_Furi shikiru aozora no namida  
__Itsu no hi ka egao ni kaeru yo..."_

As the song finished, I walked around the corner towards the basketball courts. They seemed empty. _I could have sworn Ai-chan would have been here. She loves basketball almost as much as Momoko does..._

I remembered that I was on my way to Momoko's house for a sleepover. I had just okayed it with my parents, and I was already on my way, sleeping bags under my arm and sleepover essentials in a blue bag. (Author's Note: I may eventually make a story out of that sleepover...)

_Bounce. Bounce._

"Ara? What was that?"

I could hear the sounds of a ball bouncing nearby. I walked a bit further and saw Aiko throwing her basketball towards the hoop on her side of the ball courts. So _that's_ why the courts seemed empty...

"Hey, Ai-chan!!" I exclaimed. Aiko looked over towards me.

"Hey, Kellysi-chan!!" Aiko exclaimed, holding her ball under her arms. "What you up to?"

"Oh, just the usual," I replied. "Touring the city, jamming to cool tunes, on my way to Momoko's for a sleepover. How about you?"

"Leon challenged me to a b-ball game in a couple days. I just wanted to make sure I stay in shape," Aiko explained. "He's not winning this time."

"Oh, yeah, I remember the last game you guys played," I continued. "I can't believe how badly Leon-kun kicked your butt!" I couldn't help but laugh at that little memory.

"Hey, if I hadn't slipped on my toes that last time, it would have been _me_ who scored the winning basket!" Aiko playfully shot back.

I smirked. "Is that a challenge I hear?"

"Say, why not?" Aiko inquired. "Maybe you'd like to play a little game with me? You know, to get me in shape so I can kick Leon's butt?"

"Sure. I've got some time before I head over to Momoko's," I stated, setting my sleepover stuff nearby and shifting into my personal stance. "Let's play!"

We brought out our wands, concentrating on our powers.

"_Pameruku laruku larirori poppun!"_

"_Asobu soba de sakiyaki sore!"_

Swirls of magical energy surrounded us as we performed our spells.

"_Let's have a scoreboard for the big game!!"_

Responding to our commands, a scoreboard composed of magical music notes appeared in the sky above us. The clock gave us eight minutes.

Aiko smiled brightly before performing a lunge straight around me and charging straight for her side of the court.

I let out a laugh. "Oh, so that's the way you want to play, huh, Ai-chan?"

I broke into a sprint in hopes of keeping Aiko from scoring. She let her wrists flick, sending the basketball in a perfect arc towards the hoop. No way was I going to let her take the advantage already!

I leapt into the air, spun a 360, and swung my arm out, quickly deflecting Aiko's shot.

She ran towards the flying ball, picking it up and taking another shot. This one went in before I could react and try to stop it.

_Nick: 0  
__Aiko: 2  
__Remaining Time: 07:21_

"Lucky shot, Ai-chan," I taunted.

"More than luck, Kellysi-chan," was Aiko's simple reply.

It was my ball now, so I dribbled it down towards my basket, preparing to take my shot.

Suddenly, all I saw was a blue blur, and the basketball was gone. "HEY!"

Aiko was laughing like crazy as she prepared to take a three-point shot.

Suddenly, I saw her slow down a bit. _Opportunity!!_

I charged forward and plucked the ball from Aiko just as she was about to shoot. Before Aiko could do anything about it, I shot the ball towards my side, which, impressively, went in perfectly. I think that was the longest shot I'd ever hit in my life...

_Nick: 3  
__Aiko: 2  
__Time Remaining: 06:43_

"Nice shot, Kellysi-chan," Aiko commented.

"Nothing but net," I replied.

The game went on for a while, neither of us holding the upper hand for too long. Sometimes, one of us would try a sneaky trick to gain the upper hand, only to have the other steal the lead right back. It was pretty wild for an eight-minute game.

_Nick: 27  
__Aiko: 25  
__Remaining Time: 00:35_

"This is it, Aiko. You can do this," Aiko stated to herself. "Just get the ball from Kellysi-chan, and score three more points. How hard can that be?"

However, it occurred to Aiko that I was being too fast for her. Suddenly, an idea formed in her head. Being stealthy, she silently pulled out her wand and spun it around.

"_Pameruku laruku larirori poppun! Give me the basketball!!"_

In an instant, the ball disappeared from my hands and reappeared in Aiko's possession.

Taking her chance, Aiko flicked her wrist, sending the ball in an arching shot. The tension was incredibly thick as Aiko's last-ditch shot sailed through the air.

Just as the buzzer sounded, Aiko's shot went right through the net!

_Final Score!  
__Nick: 27  
__Aiko: 28_

"YES!!" Aiko exclaimed, jumping up and down as she celebrated her victory.

"Nice game, Ai-chan," I stated, holding out my hand...

...only to have Aiko throw her arms around me.

"Nice game yourself," Aiko responded as I returned her embrace. We stood like that for about ten seconds before separating.

"Well, Ai-chan, I have to get going. Momoko's probably flipping out," I stated, picking up my sleepover gear.

"Okay! See you around, Kellysi-chan! Don't get TOO lovey-dovey with Momo-chan, okay?"

"Right. I'll remember that."

As I set off, I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around, only to have Aiko capture my lips in a quick, fluttery kiss.

"That's for a great practice, Kellysi-chan. I'm going to kick Leon's butt into next week when our rematch comes. You'll see!"

"I'm sure I will."


End file.
